The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule.

Russia’s scorched-earth intervention on behalf of former Syrian President Bashar Assad once turned the tide of the Syrian civil war.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

Across Syria, soldiers tied to the former Assad regime are surrendering their weapons to the interim government. The New York Times spoke to some of these men in Latakia, as they face a new and uncertain future as civilians.

Israeli warplanes continue to target military facilities and ammunition depots belonging to the Syrian army. Most recently, airstrikes were carried out on Syria’s Mediterranean coast at the port of Latakia,

An Israeli strike targeted an air defence installation near Syria's Mediterranean Latakia port, Syrian security sources said on Monday.

Syria's main ports are working normally after days of disruptions, maritime officials said on Monday, and Ukraine said it was in touch with the interim government about delivering staple foods.

Across Syria, the country’s rebel leaders are struggling to contain revenge attacks, as vigilantes seize on the chaos of the moment to settle personal scores.

In the Assad clan's former heartland of Latakia, many in the toppled president's Alawite minority are relieved that his iron-clad rule has come to an end.- 'Stealing from us' - After the rebel takeover,

For the first time since he fled the country he ruled with an iron fist and a willingness to kill his own people to hold power, Bashar al-Assad was heard from. In a statement from exile in Moscow, Assad claimed he did not want to leave Syria but was evacuated by Russia after he left Damascus for his family's heartland near the coast.

Ahmed al-Shara stressed diplomacy in an interview but criticized Israel’s advance into Syrian territory. A statement said to be from Bashar al-Assad, the ousted leader, defended his decision to leave for Russia.